Therapist Points Out The Main Difference Between Support And Toxic Positivity

It doesn’t matter who we are, we are going to have good and bad
things happen in our lives. When something good happens, it isn’t
difficult to find the words that express how we feel. When
something bad happens, however, it can sometimes be difficult to
know what words to use. In fact, most people just try to tell us to
put our best foot forward and be positive. There is one therapist,
however, who is saying that giving such advice is nothing less than
toxic.

Of course, nobody wants to have something rubbed their face when
they are already feeling down so our natural inclination is to use
something positive that we may have heard in the past. These types
of mantras are often thought of as being very positive but they
don’t often provide the boost that is desired. That is what
psychotherapist Whitney Hawkins Goodman, LMFT has to say. She owns
the Collaborative Counseling Center and the Instagram account,
@sitwithwhit. In order to show her
thoughts on toxic positivity, she provides a chart that helps us to
see a clear difference.

Whitney Hawkins Goodman is a psychotherapist who wants to
educate people on the difference between validation and toxic
positivity. The chart is going viral.

She said that the toxic positivity sayings found on Pinterest
are thought to be harmless for some but they can have a negative
effect for others.

Goodman says: “I’ve realized people HATE the word toxic. I hear
ya’ll. Got a lot of comments on “never give up.” Decided to keep
it. There are relationships, life goals, plans and situations that
is OK to give up on. Not everything needs to result in completion.
Sometimes it is safer to give up. We owe each other the space to
discuss the options,” and asked her followers, “What are some other
positive sayings that you think are totally dismissive?”